1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to archery equipment and more particularly to an improved two handed bow, bowstring release mechanism and retractable arrow rest.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A two handed bow and a bowstring release mechanism carried by a harness adapted to be worn by the archer has been described in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 705,299, filed Apr. 24, 1991 by Huey Savage. That application has been assigned to the assignee of this application.
The '299 application particularly describes a compound bow having fixed hand grips extending outwardly from the central section of the bow and adapted to be held by both hands of an archer. A harness, arranged to be strapped to the archers back, positions a bowstring release mechanism near the archer s chin. The bowstring release mechanism is remotely controlled via a switch located near one of the handgrips.
A retractable arrow rest is mounted on the '299 bow which together with the nocking point on the bowstring align the arrow on a shooting axis along which the arrow travels when departing the bow. In operation, the archer, after affixing the harness to his or her body, secures the bowstring to the bowstring release mechanism carried by the harness flexes the bow limbs by forcing the central section of the bow away from the harness with both arms and then activates the bowstring release mechanism to launch the arrow.
The archery apparatus described in the '299 application greatly increases the draw weight, i.e., force exerted on the drawstring by the archer and therefore the stored energy and arrow exit velocity, over that possible with conventional bows. The retractable arrow rest described in the '299 application (mechanically coupled to the cables attached between the ends of the bow limbs) allows the use of shorter and stiffer arrows (preferable with increased draw weights) and eliminates any contact between the arrow rest and the vanes on a departing arrow.
I have developed certain improvements useful with the two handed bow described in the '299 application as well as with conventional bows i.e. collapsible hand grip arrangement, a bowstring release mechanism which reduces the bowstring release actuating force and a non-mechanically actuated retractable arrow rest.